Reliability: how far would you drive you're rod from home?

[billy]

i just finished the 27 chevy a little bit ago
and 3 days back drove it from farmington to belen nm
about 230 miles.
it ran great but hitting a dip or pothole at 80 mph does spooky things to a suicide front end....

 

[mitchs66]

They are built to drive...get in them and drive them like you don't know any better. I'm going to be 32 this year but would jump out on a limb to say most of in our teens drove worse and never would have second guessed and went any where we thought we wanted to go. In 2010 my friend went with me on part of the Power Tour, one week before we left I put on a new intake and carb which stressed him because I didn't have much drive time on it to check for problems...then I nearly gave him a heart attack two days before we left when I decided to replace both front floor pan sections, he was sure we were going on Power Tour looking at the road. Just to be safe I packed two big tool boxes with way to many tools, the old Belvedere performed flawless but when our friends kept breaking down I had tools for them to use, even a 1 inch wrench so he could adjust the shift on his GTO I wouldn't call my Belvedere a Rat Rod but it is a low budget car, I have about $4,000 invested and my family and I enjoy driving it as much as we can.

 

[CR55]

So why not build it to be as reliable as your tow rig?

My sentiments exactly! [cl so what if it breaks down.....fix it...after all you built it.....right?[S

 

[TiredIronGRB]

Just did 4,250 miles in a '63 Mercury with 77,000 miles on it and other than a radiator issue we had no problems.

 

[timbo]

I work on late model cars every day and if it breaks down there isn't much that can be done to get them back on the road. Too much depends on electronics/computers. I would rather travel in a car/truck that has a carburetor and a set of points. A lot easier and cheaper to get going and keep going. I don't know of any one that keeps a $6000- $20,000 scanner in there car and serpentine belt and tool, sensors,.... in case they have car trouble.
Tim

 

[wendle]

most of in our teens drove worse and never would have second guessed and went any where we thought we wanted to go.

Exactly!

These are hand-built cars, why shouldn't they be reliable?

 

[440shorty]

Old stuff

Many trips made with a stock '69 Dart in the 80s and 90s. I attended college 500 miles from home, and although there were minor issues from time to time, the car always made the trip under its own power.

I work 30 miles one way from home, and have to punch a time clock. If a vehicle cannot be relied upon to drive to work, it is useless to me.

440shorty

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

I'll hit the road with anything roadworthy, new or old. (Of course "roadworthy" is the key word).

Unless you have a crystal ball, you can't predict failure. If it does happen, I'm on timbo's side. Give me the old stuff. Case in point: I had a fuel pump fail a LONG way from home. Basic hand tools, a $15 mechanical pump and two hours later, fixed. (I was lucky to be walking distance from another pump). Had I ventured out in my other driver, I was screwed. Changing an FI pump in the tank wasn't gonna happen on the side of the road.

I love old technology. It doesn't make my brain hurt and a set of 14 wrenches fits everything. I don't have to be a contortionist and plastic only comes in the form of a bag.

 

[dmw56]

I would have driven my 51 F1 anywhere but only abour 100 miles at a time so I could get out and stretch. 4" chop and 4" channel didn't leave much leg room.

My 68 Mustang I've driven on trips over 1000 miles. Drove my AMX from Nebraska to California in 1975. I'd drive my 454 Chevelle anywhere but stopping at every gas station!

 

[chipper]

I never seem to go anywhere but work, and I have no problem jumping in the rat with no time to spare, the only problem I had was run out of gas...opps my bad but I think it would do fine, just not real comfy.

 

[offroadrolls]

When I was a youngster I would sweat a long trip. Then one day my uncle asked me how many 10 to 20 mile trips I'd gone without failure. Now that I'm older and wiser, I carry tools and a AAA plus card. So it's not the car that I'm worried about it's my back.

 

[Ol Blue]

I just got home from the Vintage Torque Fest. About 2hrs. each way. No problems except for sore joints after getting out.

Blue

 

[Mrbigblockfe]

I'll drive mine till the wheels fall off then get the jack put them back on an go some more

 

[billy]

I just got home from the Vintage Torque Fest. About 2hrs. each way. No problems except for sore joints after getting out.

Blue

yeah
i have to stop and stretch once in a while

 

[tzr]

Would trust the green 23 T bucket but would not trust the weather.

 

[Willowbilly3]

Since I can't drive mine at all...yet, this is only a projection but it is being built so I can drive it anywhere I want to go. When I started the build I intended to drive it from Brownsville Tx. to Fairbanks, Ak. Probably never will

 

[jfg455]

So road tirppin in a $100 beater with your high school buddies is different than road trippin in a rat? Only difference is you didn't ever stop to think the $100 beater would break down. You just went for it! Now because we are older we should worry about breaking down? if that is the case then we should bitch about the gas prices too and not go!

 

[MACKAZ]

I would think nothing of driving length of New Zealand in mine once finished. Holden 6s are the most reliable engine around....

 

[Willowbilly3]

So road tirppin in a $100 beater with your high school buddies is different than road trippin in a rat? Only difference is you didn't ever stop to think the $100 beater would break down. You just went for it! Now because we are older we should worry about breaking down? if that is the case then we should bitch about the gas prices too and not go!

Haha, how true. When I was a senior, my best buddy and room mate had a 60 Belair with a 235. We used to play gas gauge roulette to see who had to buy gas. I know that car never had more than 1/4 tank our whole senior year.

 

[440shorty]

Off to work!

I'm about to drive my wagon to work tonight!

Night everyone!

440shorty